It's been a little bit of time since Ingrid and Leon last spoke, and no doubt Leon has passed on word to Claire of the incoming convoy of National Guard and extraction by Navy SEALS! You would have to be insane to not want to get the fuck out of Raccoon City, but things rarely went according to plan in a situation like this.

After rescuing Ashley from the subway station, Leon took her out of there and to a safe place to hunker down for the night until morning. It's dangerous to be out and about in the dark with zombies, and it's best to avoid that sort of thing if you can, so they did. In the light of day, they've loaded the Crown Vic squad car (or Leon did) with what supplies he'd managed to stockpile, mostly non-perishable food, water, and fuel, leaving some hidden under his doublewide trailer rental and striking out in search of the rogue conspiracy blogger, Claire Redfield.

The first stop on this tour of adventure was the Clock Tower, where the pair had had a serious talk about the possibility of things going majorly sideways and made plans to prepare for the worst in concert with each other, but Claire was not there, not yet, anyway. The next best place to check was the college campus. Earlier in the week, the campus had been a hotbed of unrest, but by now most of the students have fled or are wandering the streets looking for brains. In a scene that will likely play out at a later time, they all managed to find each other and share the details that Special Agent Hunnigan had given Leon about a pending extraction for the President's daughter and her rescuers, and now time is passing while they await the final order.

Ashley Graham overslept. It's as simple as that. So while Leon loaded the car, she dressed herself. Her own leggings, slightly cut up but clean now, and one of Leon's button-downs. Unarmed, with her blonde hair braided back in the french style (and streaked with red blood that had stained it the day before) she stays close to Leon. At the Clock Tower, she stays behind as ordered. At the Campus, she stays in the car more by choice, for while they're there, she's pale and uncomfortable. She spends the entire search tense and stressed, which should come as no surprise. It's the end of the world, and thus far Leon hasn't agreed that she should have a gun.

When they do finally meet Claire, Ashley does at least offer up her own information. About the Umbrella facility in the hills. About the SOCOM raid. About the dogs. About the hospital, and the doctor saying that there was nothing to do for anyone, that the people would become like rabid dogs. Beyond that, she listens with a high chin and a keen eye. But she listens.

Claire has barricade the dorms with surprising efficiency and seperated two floors for her (and a couple other students who weren't smart enough to evacuate while the had the chance) safety. "Alright! Everyone be quiet..." There's not many of them, maybe four, one of them is probably Yoko, but the vast majority are no doubt terrified: Who wouldn't be?

She's also set up a CB radio hooked to a gas powered generator (because supplies) so that anyone talking on... say... a police radio... could contact her. Maybe she came up with codewords.

Once everyone is together, and for the sake of ease, Claire informs Ashley that she already knows most of that and then hands her a can of Busches Baked Beans. "Eat up..." She whispers, a pair of pistols worn quite openly in shoulder holsters as she makes rounds passing out food.

Before, Yoko Suzuki was quite a bit of a quiet and inward girl, often very timid and quick to run away at the first sign of danger. But over the past few weeks, Yoko, with the help of Claire, has started finding her inner courage, and has now started helping her with trying to help the survivors find a safe place to take cover. And while Claire might think that Yoko is terrified, she might be surprised to find that Yoko is putting on a good poker face for the time being.

As Claire begins to pass out the food, Yoko assists, wanting the others to have food first before she takes care of herself. "Everyone try to remain calm, OK? We're in a bad spot, but we're going to be OK...." She trails off near the end, starting to doubt herself a little.

The Clock Tower was a fine time, really, which mostly involved driving up, seeing a lot of zombies, and driving away. Leon didn't like leaving Ashley in the car by herself, and he probably /would/ have left a gun in there for her while he checked the dorm, but now she's back with him and doesn't need one again. Sorry, Ashley, you fragile little flower, you.

While Claire is passing out food to her brood of compatriots and short-bus riders (seriously, kids, gtfo), Leon is having a revelation. "Uh, Claire? Once you've got everyone fed, we should probably get going. I think the agent was planning for us to leave from my apartment." That's the doublewide trailer, everybody. Leon has style. "Besides, there's a few more of us than I was expecting. My Civic is there, someone can drive that too. It will only take us a few minutes to get there. Like, twenty, if the roads are still clear." He's dressed in normal civilian clothes, a green heathered v-neck, jeans, his police boots, and his bulletproof vest, the gunbelt looking a little strange without the uniform. "I don't want to keep them waiting, especially if she has any sort of escort other than me trying to make it to us."

Right before things had gone to hell at the station, Hunni had been on patrol at the college. She'd seen how many people were left behind and she was almost entirely certain that plenty had been left behind. Seems that bet was right.

Having arrived on the scene, the woman had her hair tied back and was still wearing her S.T.A.R.S. attire, her rifle slung over her front and her pistol in her hip holster. Having found her way in she'd caught wind of what the others were attempting to do. Extracting civillians? It was literally in her job description and she'd volunteered. "We've got people back at the apartment building, a vehicle too, but that's clear across town."

Ashley suddenly finds a can of beans thrusted into her hands. "Oh," she says softly, and seems like she might speak up further about it. But instead, she just glances around and, hoping no one is watching, sets the can aside and behind her. Perhaps it's no surprise that she has no appetite. Between a harrowing, bloody experience the night before and Leon being kind enough to introduce her to this 'Chef Boyardee,' really Ashley couldn't eat another bite.

"Are there others?" she asks Leon suddenly, having not heard about any other rescue teams before now. She seems surprised at the idea of it. And, quite frankly, there's a nervousness to her. An uncertainty, an uneasyness that, despite the end-of-the-world going on around them, Leon will likely note is new. But she doesn't speak on it for now. Isntead, she moves to the window, peering out, trying to see the dangers that await them. The only thing that gives vision to her thoughts is her teeth, sinking into the lower right corner of her mouth in thought.

Claire busies herself with a few younger students, smiling and sweeping hair back out of the girls face to clean tears from her eyes, "It's okay, see? We have a big strong police officer here. He's so t-" Shooting him a glare, "-ough and wont leave you behind." He might, actually, but they don't need to know that.

Once she's gotten everyone something to eat, she passes Hunni on the way over to Leon and Ashley and offers her a small smile... the smile promptly vanishes once she's next to Kennedy, "I'm not leaving them behind, Leon." She whispers, leaning in a little over the map of Raccoon City she has rolled out across a table lit by a hanging welders lamp strung across the ceiling.

There is no way to stress how well this dorm is supplied without being absurd.

"I'll help you get Ashley to the extraction, but if everyone isn't getting out, I'm not leaving." There is not wiggle room here. Redfield has spoken. "Once you're on the chopper, I'm supposing you wont need your crown vic?"

Fade to black.... No doubt Claire, Leon, and the others had all sorted out what they needed to and made their way to the apartment building near the downtown core that would serve as the rendezvous with the National Guard. Leon and Hunni also lived there! <Feel free to flashback scene this if you like>

<><><>

Late Evening

Three National Guard Humvees with a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the roof pulled up outside of the apartment building, the convoy led by Major Richard Stadler who had been contacted earlier in the day with a priority mission from the PENTAGON!!! It was a big responsibility for the National Guard Commander, above and beyond what most expected.

The details had been fairly concise: There was a very important person in Raccoon City who the President himself wanted, AND needed extracted. Major Stadler and his convoy were to pick-up the package (the VIP) at the apartment building they had just pulled up to along with a few civilians who were attached to the VIP and had been promised a way out of the city.

Leon, Ashley, Claire and the others had no doubt been expecting the convoy to arrive, a few of the Guardsman picking off undead stragglers in the streets as they fanned out around the Humvees to secure the area.

Casualties had been high thus far in Raccoon City and Richard had been among the survivors of the initial push to secure the hospital which had cost almost sixty lives. He had barely escaped with his life when a retreat was called by the military units they were supporting.

Loaded up as she can be and ready for a fight, Hunni was concerned. She'd agreed to help, but without her partner? She wasn't leaving the city any time soon. Checking her beloved rifle one last time out of habbit she looks up at the sounds of the screeching convoy and exhales a breath. Time to go to work!

By the time they return to Leon's 'apartment' as he likes to call it, Ashley was nervous. You can tell she's fretting because she's so quiet. And she's been quiet since they found Claire and the group at the campus. During the ride, the blonde had leaned over to Leon to whisper something for his ears only. "She's right," she expresses to the man, worriedly. "It'll be a helicopter, and it won't fit everyone. We can't leave them behind." She sounds adamant about that. Poor Leon. And maybe, just maybe, he had thought this might be easy or at least doable. But damn packages and their opinions.

When the convoy rolls up, Ashley is by the window and is the first to announce it. "It's a convoy!" She says, exclamation in her tone but not in her volume. Her head will whip around at that point, looking toward Leon and Claire. "We can go and get the others!"

Claire doesn't like being out in the city and she particularly doesn't like how poorly planned the excertion is. This is the girl who wades out into the middle of hell to make sure isolated civilians have food and bottled water, but she always does it with a plan... how are we getting there? How are we getting the resources there? Is it scouted?

She knows practically nothing, except that they'll be picked up and is only certain about one thing; there wont be enough room.

So she's found a place to perch so that she can watch the front door of Leon's apartment with a big revolver laying beside her on the counter a few inches from her fingertips.

When the convoy pulls up and Ashley shouts that they can pick up the others, Claire slides down off the counter and grabs her revolver, "Alright, let's move... Leon, you get Ashley on the first Humvee, Hunni you cover Yoko and me, and then we'll cover you..." It's probably moot, what with the national guard, but it gives Claire a sense of security that they're still the masters of their own destiny in some small way.

When the convoy does show up, Yoko's face brightens, but only a little. Even if the National Guard is here, she's still not sure if they'll be able to do much good here. Nevertheless, Yoko decides to go along with Claire and take care of things as best as she can. She stops briefly to open her knapsack and take out her handgun, checking to make sure it's loaded, before slipping it into the holster that she found in the street a few days ago. After that, she looks to Claire and nods.

"You lead the way," She says, a little nervously but otherwise obediently. "I'll follow behind you." She tries to sound brave, but there's a definite hint of forced bravery in her voice.

Rick didn't know how to feel about this mission. He really wasn't sure if he should be excited, nervous, annoyed, afraid... but that was this entire operation. The first time since Iraq where he actually have to live the uniform, and, like then, he felt... incredibly out of his depth. He didn't have the people he needed to handle this from the beggining, and since then, he'd lost a steady trickle to accidents, zombifications, or Guardsman simply... taking off the uniform and taking their chances with what guns and MREs they could carry away from the place. He was critically low on fuel, and what he did have was tasked to power the ever-dwindling supply of working generators at the church. What HMMWVs they had that left were now mostly permanent barricades and gun positions without a tank of it, and this little convoy was the most mechanized infantry he'd been able to scourge up.

As the Humvees rolled next to the apartment building, Stadler opened the door to the middle one, adjusting his glasses, the bronze oak leaves stitch to his lapel visable, even if his name stripe was covered by his body armor. The gas mask was left in the car. A look back up to the peopl manning the turrets, the two or three guardsman that weren't driving stepping out for security. He had Captain Theisman back at the Church, his one experienced company commander, but her damn near pulled everyone who actually had been underfire in Iraq and that... worried him. Certainly, they'd be protected (they had taken to killing zombies almost frightenly easily), but that would mean those at the refugee center...

He hadn't signed up for this. A hard sawllow. Not at all. This was supposed to be a little bit of extra money and some retirement pay, not... not /this/. But no, couldn't show it. These Guardsman would be fine, but morale would collapse if he didn't act like he knew what he was doing. So he tries to move with purpose out of the Humvee, nodding to the group that heads forward. Three students, three cops. DIdn't know how that had work.

"Folks. Major Stadler, Colorado National Guard. We're going to be heading toward extraction, and hopefully it'll be quiet, but I can't promise that. Ms Graham, if you could get in the middle Humvee." He says, at least looking to Claire apologetically. "Lead and rear are most likely to get hit." He says. Like he was picking them up to go to the air port. Keep that sort of feeling, and a tight grip on the carbine.

A thumbs up from Hunni, then she's peering through her scope, watching for the approaching dead and any other threats. She'll save her bullets, but the dark-haired asian woman is hoping the National Guard can make use of their guns.

Her lips are pulled into a frown, concern hidden behind those dark eyes peering down her sights, but she swallows down to focus on her job. Maybe they'll find more on the road, maybe they'll be able to get them out. For now, she has to focus on what she can do: cover Claire and the other survivors. Once Claire and Yoko are ready? Then she'll move.

"Maybe it'll be a big helicopter," Leon had murmured back. "I have orders from the President, and that's first priority." He doesn't say it yet, but he's already decided to stay. Ashley is just a detour on his mission to Save the City.

From the window of the apartment in the apartment complex where Leon lives, the convoy can be seen rolling up outside. The rookie cop hovers near 'the package', as the cool kids are referring to Ashley, peering through the glass behind her. "Let's move." They haven't heard from Ingrid too recently but there's not much else that could cause a coincidental arrival of a National Guard convoy. He heads for the door, motioning Ashley to follow behind him.

Heading out onto the lawn, he quickly spots the man in charge, this Major Stadler. "Major, I'm Officer Kennedy. The President has tasked me personally with Miss Graham's safe-keeping, same as you. I'm happy to help your men keep an eye on her."

It's good that Leon hasn't mentioned some fool-hearted attempt to stay. Because that would bring out the white girl rage in Ashley. For now, though, things seem to be going according to plan. This might actually work. There might actually be hope, here.

While the blonde does step out behind Leon into the light of sunshine that is the Major, she doesn't stay behind the copper for long. Almost immediately, she steps to the side of him so she can be fully seen by everyone. "Officer Kennedy will ride with me," she says, speaking to the Major in a voice that says she does not expect to be trifled with. "There's a group of students and refugees from the college," she says, looking back at the apartment building with a nod, as if to tell them it's okay. "They'll be evacing with us." Authority from a young girl. Perhaps strange, but it's there all the same. And with that decree? Ashley moves for the middle humvee.

Claire sizes up the convoy with a little frown and immediately notes the age of most of the ''soldiers'' manning those turrets. Of all the people here, she is the without a single doubt in her mind the most observant, anyone who says differently is lying to themselves and should rethink it. "This..." Motioning with a point and a glance at Leon, "Is going to go badly..."

Self fulfilling prophecy maybe?

True stories from the Claire Redfield survival guide: A .50 Cal in the hands of a terrified teenager with exactly zero combat experience is about as useful as a broomstick for washing dishes.

But Leon wants to rescue the damsel and Claire wants to rescue the civilians... so long as Major Stadler agrees, she seems ready to take advantage of the situation to get them a .50 Cal to mount attop the Clock Tower.

Stadler keeps his head moving, trying to draw on the training he got at Basic, at OCS, in Iraq. He'd arranged convoy security there, and the one time it was needed... well, he wasn't dead. Yet. Just had to do all that. Keep it routine. Act like he was goddamn Delta Force, or something. At least the team here seemed to know what they were doing; he could see (barely) the S.T.A.R.S. sniper covering them from the window, the 'leader' of the group taking charge, the undercover-looking Secret Service agent (did they hire them that young) keeping close to Ashley. Ashley herself, then that other student too.

He nods to Leon, then... a questioning look on his face at the 'Officer'. "Good to meet you, Kennedy... you're not Secret Service? I'd expect Secret Service to..." He trails off, as Ashley gives those orders. He totally understands her tone... and needs to nip that in the bud right now.

"Ms. Graham." He says, in a voice that might have her stopping... hopefully. "I've got room for these people, and I don't want to leave anyone behind. But you're the President's daughter. You're not a Princess. My orders come from a sketchy radio link from some REMF behind the lines. I'd say the Governor, but like hell if I've heard anything from him. They do not come from /you/."

His voice sounds a bit frayed, but he's heading for the same middle Humvee. "I've had to take whatever guys I have that have had some combat experience, and I don't have enough of them for this." He says. He refrains from saying that the Ma Deuces on the ring mounts were also low on ammunition. He was of the /fervent/ hope that those SEALs would bring more.

Meanwhile, Yoko looks to Claire and frowns. "Are you sure of that?" She asks, although it's mostly to defuse her own inner fears than trying to confirm what Claire is saying. "I don't know if..." She trails off, finding herself at a loss for words. "Never mind, let's just get out of here?" She looks towards the humvees, wondering which one she should get into.

When everyone is onboard the Humvees they begin to move out, heading towards the extraction point. The streets of Raccoon City have gone from pristine to hellish in the span of less than a week and it was only going to get worse from here.

Curiously enough, the contact from the Pentagon, Agent Hunnigan had opted to remain in communications with Leon over the National Guard. On the uPhone Leon carried she was on video call at the moment, "Leon, the Seal Team has just crossed over the Ravensgate Bridge. They'll be a few minutes early to the extraction point, you'll be out of there in no time."

Under ordinary circumstances, she knew that an operation like this would have been easier but she had a feeling that her superiors in multiple branches of service were trying to keep the fact that Ashley had not been evacuated from her father; The President.

The .50 Cals of all three Humvee's light up in unison as they turn the street into a large group of undead, most of them being shredded to bits even if they weren't headshot.

"Major Stadler, we're about 2 blocks from the extraction point. Are we getting a ride out to?" The driver of the lead Humvee asked without taking his eyes off the road. Stadler knew damn well that the National Guardsmen were not going to be evacuated here tonight.

They had been given no such orders. Only civilians were being taken out of Raccoon City. Even as they conducted this operation, the National Guard, US Army, & CDC were conducting evacuations at Raccoon City Central Park.

Hunni was hanging back, but she'd been waiting to cover Claire and Yoko...and waiting for something even more important to her. Glancing back over her shoulder towards her apartment. Only after she's joined by another does she move to join the others.

The Major's tone does make Ashley stop, before she gets to the middle humvee. "I should hope I'm not a Princess, Major," she retorts, apparently quick on her feet and just a little bit cranky her own self. "Your orders have come from the Federal Government, and this is the situation on the ground before us -- you are here, I am here, and these people are here. I am altering your mission on behalf of that federal governemtn, slightly, to make sure that it includes these civilians. I have no desire to step on your toes beyond that," she assures the man. Apparently, buried in blonde hair and a nice rack, Ashley Graham has a spine o' steel. And with it, she tucks herself into the middle humvee at last.

In the humvee at last, Ashley moves to the window, to peer out and watch what goes on before her. It's only once Leon and the Major are in that humvee with her that she speaks again, more solemnly. "I'm sorry," she says, openly and honestly to the Major. "But these people cannot be left behind. They helped keep me alive in their own ways." A white lie on a good day, that. "I hope you understand my position, Sir. I promise I am trying to understand yours."

While he may not actually be Secret Service, Leon is good-looking, persuasive, and a damn good shot, something they'll have to wait to find out. Whatever the case, he ends up in the middle humvee with Ashley, Major Stadler, his navigator, and the gunner. That means the good Major gets the benefit of Ingrid's information, even if she's speaking to Leon directly. "Sounds like everything is running smoothly," he mutters, glancing out through the bulletproof window. You can never be too cynical, though.

"It's time to go," comes a warm voice behind Hunni, a hand resting on her shoulder. A uniformed RPD officer is standing there, clad in gear better befitting a member of a SWAT team and about as armed as one seems to have made it safely to the gathering place. "C'mon, they're going to leave without us, love," Cecily says firmly, checking the safety on her automatic rifle before nodding. She hurries her way to the next available vehicle in the convoy that isn't occupied by a presidential princess and clambers in, cradling her LMG across her chest and sighing, lips pursed in thought.

"Completely." Claire says to Yoko with a little nod, watching as the sky lights up with heavy fire when the humvees are suddenly engaged by living dead. "When has this sort of thing ever worked the way it was intended?" She's speaking quietly, leaning towards the other hacker with a little frown and her hand holding fast to the grip of her revolver.

Stadler visably winced as the fifties wentoff. There was some advantage to picking the people with the most combat experience. The pounding from the guns and the rain of the brass was kept to shorter, ammo conserving bursts, , focusing on straight ahead and to the left and right flank. Speed was their best armor here, not firepower or these thin-skinned tin cans they were driving in. A brief flicker over to Leon, as he gets his communication, a thin-lipped look, then back outside the window. He really didn't think that guy was /actually/ just a cop, and he learned a while ago that sometimes you don't want someone else's responsibilities.

Stadler remains silent when Ashley addresses him, waiting until they're moving forward before looking to respond. "No, ma'am. You are not altering them. You're not a Princess, correct. If you were, and this was Canada, maybe I'd have to listen to you. But I'm quite certain that, in every Tee-Ooh-Ooh my position's part of, not one of them has 'First Daughter' as someone who can give me orders." He takes a breath. "I'll take these people. I have room, and they look like they can handle themselves, which will help at the church. But aside from holding your breath and tasking two of my stronger 19-year-olds to carry you, you don't have a bargaining position. Are we clear?"

The question he got from the driver was something he was expecting, dreading. The driver was at least keeping it professional, and it was a welcome distraction from the argument he was having with Ashley (to the detriment of his carrer) Briefly, he considered lying, getting him to try harder, but if he did that, he knew that the driver wouldn't be their at morning muster. So he went with what he had practiced. "Not today, Private. We're focusing on the evacuation of civilians, at the moment. We leave, there's less of us to help, and that means more people die. We've got more training than anyone else here, and we can save lives." Focus on that. That was true, and burying it in patriotic bullshit or because a woman in an office somewhere in the Beltway told them so wouldn't go well.

Sighing, Yoko nods a little. "I guess there's not much we can do." She slumps down against the wall of the humvee she's in and closes her eyes a little, as if trying to refocus her mind. But as she does so, something happens to her. She closes her eyes a little tighter as a faint vision of something starts to come into her mind. But then it's gone before she can even grasp what it was. She opens her eyes suddenly, then sighs as she looks down at her sneaker clad feet, attempting to find a hint of what that vision was.

Ashley, at least, has one more little trick up her sleeve. "It sounds as though you're agreeing with my request, Major," the blonde says, though she too jolts as the .50s go off. Beyond that, she even brings her hands up to her ears, and curls up in her seat a little in fright at the sudden torrent of violence. But it was the shock, only. And it passes.

When she speaks to the Major, it's in a quiet tone. "So, since we're in agreement, there's no need for this particular pissing contest." It's stated as a fact.

She sits back in the seat, vision swirling at the sound of the big guns going off. She sways a little unsteadily, but then turns her attention back to the Major at hand. Leon's chatter on the phone either isn't heard or is ignored, for now. "There's no one coming to relieve you yet?" she asks the Major, honestly surprised. "Surely, after you bring a group this size out ... it'll be enough. God above knows it'll be enough. How can there not be any reinforcements, yet?" At least she has the sense to say it quietly enough where only the Major and Leon will hear.

The fifty cals open fire on the zombie horde, which is good, Leon glances out and watches with approval for that part. Ingrid's face is just kinda hanging out on his fancy uPhone until she has something to tell him again, and Ashley and the Major are, well, making friends. Kind of. He's staying out of it. The question about relief does draw a little twist to his face, downcast eyes. They're quarantined. Whoever is inside is inside, and whoever is outside is outside. Anyone coming in is going to do so in small numbers, not 'replacement battalion' numbers.

Riding in her humvee, Hunni crosses her arms over her rifle at the back and frowns. She's no presidential heir, so she doesn't get to be in the important vehicle! Riding silenetly for the moment, her mouth is a thin like as she keeps watch through the windows of the vehicle, trying not to be too bothered or rattled by the booming sounds of the .50cal attached to the vehicle when it takes its shots at anything in their path. Exhaling a breath she glances at the gunsmith beside her. "When we get out of here? Lets move somewhere with a beach...and no monsters trying to eat us."

The rest of the ride towards the extraction point is relatively quiet, the gunners ignoring the odd zombie they pass. Radio chatter on the National Guard channels was heavy though, there were reports that Raccoon City Central Park had fallen and the evacuation site had been lost. Word was the survivors were falling back to City Hall.

"Leon. I've received word the Navy Seals have arrived. They're on the ground and have secured the extraction." Ingrid reports on the uPhone to Leon after a long silence and absence.

The driver of the Humvee didn't seem too pleased with Richard's answer, but he remained tight-lipped and kept driving.

"This is Navy Seals Echo-Bravo Seven team to National Guard unit, Roger-Sierra, do you copy?" Richard's radio crackled to life, "We're securing the extraction, minimal infected but we suggest you hurry with the package. We spotted a large group moving in this direction on our way in."

Claire was about to say something to Yoko while staring out the side window as they drove along, but the words never make it out from her open mouth... Instead her eyes squitn, focus, and she's grabbing hold of Yoko's arm and looking towards the driver. "Something's tailing us... something big... oof to the rig- hey! Private!" She's assuming he's a private, "Turn that gun to our right! Something is ''running along side'' the humvee!" Paranoid, conspiracy theorist, and absolutely bat shit insane.

Trying to take her mind off of things, Yoko attempts to look out the window at the passing city landscape, sighing as she realizes this place has turned into hell, and most likely will never be the same again without some kind of miracle. She bites her lower lip a little, wondering what will become of her and Claire and the others she knows? She tries not to think about that as she looks around, only to stop as she notices something nearby. "Is that?"

Yoko widens her eyes and looks a little more intently, staring at a nearby building. Indeed, as she thought she saw, there is someone standing on the rooftop of a nearby building. They're looking at the convoy with binoculars. Something about it doesn't seem right to Yoko. She instinctively calls out, "On that rooftop to our right! Someone's watching us!"

"You'd get bored," Cecily responds playfully to Hunni's comment on moving to the beach. "Though a vacation sounds lovely... last one I took was when I met -you-..." she gives the asian sniper a sideways smile which turns into a frown as she sighs. "...and you wouldn't be stuck in this situation if I hadn't brought you stateside in the first place... I'm sorry, love..." she looks to the window then lays her head on Hunni's shoulder while she still can. She hasn't caught wind of anything outside of the convoy yet, but she frowns at the sound of something inside, just shaking her head for the moment.

"Contact!" Hunni calls from her position, shifting a little in her seat. Bringing up her rifle in a fully loaded humvee just isn't happening, but the asian woman draws her Samurai Edge pistol. The couple can talk out regrets and reminisce another time. "Whatever it is, it has to be fast to be keeping up with the car, be ready!" she calls, probably telling the gunner something he already knows.

Stadler opens his mouth, at the reference to the pissing contest and 'agreeing' with her request, but... then closes it. He wanted to continue arguing, to vent frustrations and distract, but that wouldn't be... productive at his point. There might be another argument down the road... but she'll probably be out of here in just a few minutes. But that last question he could answer. "Relieve us? It's been a week, and we're quarentined here. No one knows what this is, and like hell if I've received training on how to handle how many... zombies are out there. They send anyone in here, they might be just running them into a meat grinder. Or they might get infected. /We/ might be infected." He says. And leaves it at that. At the increase in chatter, his hands over to the radio handset, pressing it to his head. Another swallow, fighting back fear. That evacuation was a failure, and they'd lost the part. They were falling back, but God knows if they had the ammo for it. Or if they'd been able to hold if they weren't driving Her Presidential Highness to an extraction point with SEALs that could have gotten to the goddmn Park.

A flick over to the right frequency as he gets another call in. "Echo-Bravo Seven, this is Roger-Seirra, actual. Reading you 5 by 5. Heading down streets at maximum effective speed. A lot of cars in the road, but we're making best time-"

Richard hadn't seen anything outside the window. He hadn't been looking closely, and he'd bee... distracted with a dozen things. And their was the briefiest thought of demanding more information from Claire. But a flash back to a desert road had him reacting almost instantly. Slapping the preset button. "Contact right! Alongside! Engage! Rooftop contact, suppress!" He says, working over the window. Goddamnit, where /was/ it?

"If you were infected, Major, we wouldn't be sitting here. For a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that you'd likely already be sick," Ashley says, but her face softens almost immediately. Compassionate and damn near apologetic. "You'll have done enough, if you get us all to safety. It should be enough. Come with us; they won't say no to me." Maybe true, maybe not. But in that moment, despite their little tiff, Ashley seems to want nothing more than the safety of her protectors.

Speaking of protectors, when Ashley looks out the window again, something makes her gasp and sit up straight. "What on earth was that?" She mutters, again so likely only the Major and Leon can hear. It's the latter man she reaches for. "Officer," she says urgently, apparently still refusing to call him by his Christian name. "Did you see that? That large ....?" For once, for the very first time, Ashley is at a loss for words. But then there's shouts and the Major is shouting engage. "There!" She offers helpfully. "Running alongside the caravan, at the next street," she offers. Maybe helpful, maybe not. But it's what she can do, now.

Nobody sees the large creature that was apparently following down a side-street save those who had noticed it, if they had even noticed anything real at all; likely they had.

What everyone does see however is the 'man' with binoculars who appears to be on the rooftop watching the convoy. The 'man' isn't hit by any of the .50 caliber rounds but instead stretches out what appear to be elongated arms and legs and begins to crawl along the side of the building even as the gunner screams, "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?"

Concrete is torn apart and windows are shattered as the 'Slenderman' crawls over the side of the building and into the darkness of the alley out of sight.

The convoy continues to move forward and up ahead they can see a small strip mall with a Blackhawk Helicopter landed in the middle of it.

"Roger-Sierra, confirm that is you on approach." Richard's radio crackled to life again.

"I don't see anything," Leon replies to Ashley, either to calm her down or because he legitimately didn't see anything. Maybe it was both. His bangs fall into his face a little as he leans further to try to peer out of the tiny windows, but they are /tiny/ and the glass is cloudy at best, not to mention the speed they're moving and the buildings in between. What he /does/ see is mother-flipping /Slenderman/ perched on a rooftop waiting to inspire some seriously unfortunate headlines. "...the hell is going on out there," he mutters, his hand dropping to his thigh for the custom Samurai Edge he's wearing there. It's starting to look like Go Time.

Cecily sits up at the sudden yell of 'Contact!' from her wife. She blinks, staring towards the window with wide eyes. She recoils when it's actually in view and all the blood drains from her face. "...that's... that's not a... what -IS- that?" she clutches her rifle close to herself and curls up in her seat. "..that's not right.. this whole thing isn't right.. just stay still, it won't see you, just stay still.." she mumbles to herself. Ok so she's having Jurassic Park flashbacks.

Hunni says something rather explicit, but fortunately for sensitive ears it's in her native language. She doesn't even lift her gun, eyes wide in horror at the thing scampering its way down towards their convoy. "Shoot it..." she breathes, her hand coming up to grip the leg of the gunner franticly. "Shoot it!"

Stadler's busy scanning through the windows, heart pounding in his chest. The rush of aderenline and fear is replaced by annoyance. There wasn't anything next to them, and they had wasted a few rounds proving it. But reacting to Claire wasn't as immediate as reacting to Ashley, and he is of the mind to regret snapping at her, but doing it anyway. "I didn't know you worked in Atlanta." He says. "This disease goes from symptoms to terminal awfully fast, but we know shit about it. Incubation period could be excessively long, which is smart, if this is a bioweapon. We don't want to put anyone else in danger." He says, before leaning in close to her, hissing silently. "What the /fuck/ do you think you're doing? Do you know how hard it is to keep any of these people on task? In uniform? How many I'd lose if they thought their was a /shred/ of a possibility to get out? How many people do you want to kill-"

There's another shout, and Rick's looking up to the rooftop just in time to see it slowly crawl over the building itself. "Engage! /ENGAGE NOW/!" It was yelled into the radio. Stadler didn't want to say screamed, but it was close to it. Rick knew he wasn't thinking rationally, that the target was out of range. SIck to his stomach; he wasn't infantry. He was a goddamn supply officer, and he was panicing, and he was going to get these people killed. Radio. Gripping the handset. Voice wavering, even after he takes a deep breath. "Echo-Bravo, Romeo-Serria Actual. We can see your sixty in the strip mall parking lot. Three humvees with friendlies coming in. We've got reports of... of things. Things around us. Be ready."

Ashley is good-natured as she can be, given the circumstances, until he hisses at her. Then she frowns, apologetically and almost sadly. "I think I'm trying to help you. And that's why I said those words just for you, not for them. You're their leader and I trust you in that capacity," she promises, even reassures. But then, the time for the pissing contest really does seem over when there's shouts for engagement and Ashley's head is whipping around to look again. Not out the window again, but to Leon.

Her eyes are wide and fearful, but she's calm. This is not the blank, shocked Ashley. Nor is it crying, fearful Ashley. This is Ashley in the moment, coming to terms with their surroundings, and keeping her cool through it all.

"We're not going to make it," she tells her protector matter-of-factly, with a tremor in her voice. "We need to turn around, find a place to hunker down." She looks right at Leon and into his eyes if he'll let her. "Officer," she says, in a knowing yet almost pleading tone. This isn't going to work. It's all falling apart already. She's seen one rescue attempt fail and won't see another. All of this she conveys silently, with her eyes, to the man. An understanding, a fear, and a resignation too. This is going to be bad, one way or the other.

"We've got you Roger-Sierra." The voice replied back as the Humvees began to pull up to the strip mall, the soldiers on the guns extremely nervous at their low ammo count and the situation that had been going on around them.

As soon as the Humvees are in position, the Navy Seals rush over and open the doors, "Let's move!" The lead operator in NVGs calls out as he signals the civilian team and Ashley to begin moving towards the chopper.

The dramatic rescue is halted by the call out of "CONTACT NINE O CLOCK!"

Approaching the Strip Mall from the opposite direction of the Humvees was a large humanoid figure wearing black trenchcoat armor. It had a grotesquely large mutated face and almost cinematically, the ground seemed to tremble as it approached. One arm of the creature was holding a minigun, the other was holding a rocket launcher...

Ashley's impassioned plea does not fall on deaf ears. Leon listens patiently while the young woman begs her case, but he shakes his head quietly. "Not yet. We can't just run and leave these guys behind, they came out here to rescue you."

Then the SEALs are pulling open the doors, and they're saved, right? Not exactly. The call of contact sends his head snapping around to the left, and he hops out of the humvee to get a better view, reflexively unholstering his weapon as he hits the pavement. Whatever that thing is, it's not human anymore. The custom Samurai Edge snaps into place in front of his body as he leans into the shot, his finger squeezing smoothly through the velvety trigger-pull until a crack of expanding gas and sharp burst of flame sends a small slug of metal hurtling towards the monster, 180 grains of powder pushing the little instant-mushroom directly into its eye socket.

Ashley is able to give Leon one last look before things really start going to hell. It's a look of sadness, a look of a woman resigned to whatever's going to happen next. A look of a woman facing her death and accepting that there's no way to go but forward.

So forward she goes. SEALS descend on the humvee and the doors open. Ashley is quickly yanked out by her upper arm, and the men begin the seemingly endless walk across the parking lot, Ashley being borne along. She slows up, though, at the sound of shots, and lifts her head to start looking around. It's then that she sees NEMESIS, and sees those with weapons start to open up on him. "Wait," she says breathlessly to the SEALS around her. "Wait, we have to get the rest of them!" Pshaw. Like they're going to listen to that.

Rick had realized Ashley had said the words in a low tone, but he wasn't in a mood to agree with her right now. Esspecially with the sort of gut-wrenching fear of failure he had as their 'leader'. But he was 'lucky' enough to have other things distracting him from it, as the humvees pull up. "That helicopter is /right/ there. We're getting you out of here, right now. So shut up and get-"

There were the SEALs, ready to extract on that Seahawk. They were almost out of this. So close... so one can understand the despair that Rick feels looking up toward the large figure, walking slowly toward them, pounding on the ground. He seemed two stories tall, with weapons that would destroy them, and Rick freezes up again, just as terrified as anyone else standing there....

Before Leon lines up a shot that slames right into his eye.

That was the one right thing that was needed. Seeing that the thing /could/ be hurt. If it could, they had a chance. So Stadler belted out in a voice he was copying from his Drill Sergeants and with orders stitched together from meager training in a way that sounded convicing. "Stop the humvees in line with the road! We'll use them as a barricade. MGs, /light him up/! Infantry, drivers, disembark, and move to the buildings!" He says, bringing his own weapon up. They couldn't use the Humvees for cover. Not while he had that rocket launcher.

Ashley is looked over to as she speaks up, yelling. "Get her the /fuck/ out of here!"

The vehicles screeching to a halt and the doors being flung open by military special forces jars Cecily out of her horrified reverie. She stares, wide-eyed for a moment before she pulls herself and Hunni out of the vehicle and on the side -away- from the hulking figure. "Ah... come on, we've got a job to do..." she laughs, the only thing she can easily do as she shakes her head at the sheer madness of it all. It wasn't too long ago she was checking out handguns and signing papers, now she's backpedaling with Navy SEALS as the zombie apocalypse happens on her doorstep.

She hauls it to the nearest sturdy concrete trash can to brace on with her MG, adding to the suppressing fire that Stadler orders. He might not be her direct superior, but she's still aware of the situation and what's needed. The rounds from the MG36 aren't large, but she unloads a good, full burst in the huge mutant's direction while it's staggered from Leon's expertly aimed shot. The rookie is impressive! Much moreso than her semi-panicked spray that manages to rip into the thing's arm.

There is no time for anything to react as Leon acts with pure instinct and opens fire, his shot scoring a 1 in a million shot directly to Nemesis' eye which causes the creature to roar out in pain and anger.

Unfortunately the Humvee's are parked already except the rear Humvee which begins to drive away as the driver panics.

The rest of the soldiers do as ordered and the gunner with ammo on his .50 cal opens fire on Nemesis like Rambo screaming, "MERRY CHRISTMAS YA FILTHY ANIMAL!!!!"

The Navy Seals begin to fan out with the leader of the team signaling to the chopper, "Get out of here now!" Most of them were opening fire, but like Cecily's shots they seemed to find mostly armor.

Then Nemesis opened fire

The rocket launcher was shot directly towards the helicopter attempting to take off, the Blackhawk having no time to evade as the projectile soared towards it.

At the same time, Nemesis began to open fire with the minigun at everyone present but thanks to Leon's wound it was far more inaccurate then it normally would be. A handful of soldiers are cutdown as the eye begins to mutate so that Nemesis can rectify the problem that ails it.

The rocket hits the chopper causing it to explode, the entire area showered with flaming debris.

Leon's shot to the eye is not nearly as effective as he expected. "What the hell?" he mutters, somewhat surprised to find that the monster hasn't collapsed. All the other ones did with a headshot, what's going on here? But then the thing is shooting a rocket launcher and the projectile sprays fire behind it as it heads directly for the extraction helicopter. "Oh god." They're not getting out of here. He's not going to save everyone. But he promised to save her.

The rookie cop's lips harden into a thin line and he raises his handgun again, putting another shot downrange before just /running./ He doesn't wait to see what it does, where it hits, what the monster does next. He's running after those SEALs, after Ashley. She's not getting away from him. Not tonight.

Ashley and several of the SEALS are closing in on the helicopter. So when it goes, there's casualties. Dead pilots, obviously, SEALS hit with shrapnel and worse. And then there's Ashley. She, with a few others, gets sent stumbling back and tumbling off her feet by the blast. At least she's alive at that point -- a feminine scream goes up over the sounds of burning metal and firing guns as she's blasted back. After that it's just silence.

At least, until that minigun opens up. The spray of bullets means that no one is targeted and everyone is at risk. And the sound of it, and the sight of men taking hits around her, is enough to jerk Ashley to her feet. Her ears are ringing, but adrenaline does it's job. Fight or flight kicks in, and flight takes hold, sending the girl sprinting around the wreck of the downed Blackhawk, toward the strip mall seeking shelter. At least she's smart about it. She keeps her head low, but her eyes up and seeking new threats that will likely be coming, attracted by the noise and carnage.

Cecily takes half a moment snapping the bipod of her LMG down, bracing on the trash can she'd picked to set up shop on. It's easy to tell she's not doing much to Nemesis with her errant shots, but she still takes aim anyway and draws a good bead on the barn-sized mutant, sucking on her tongue to try and get the dry feeling out of her mouth. She can feel the heat of the explosion licking at her back, but she shivers and clenches her eyes shut for a few moments. It's a nightmare. But there's good still in the line of fire. SEALs and civilians alike.

So she takes a deep breath and opens her eyes again, clearly not waking up in her warm bed, just met with heat still coming off of the blaze of wreckage not far behind her. Ensuring she has Nemesis in her sights, she pulls the trigger again, this time a more disciplined burst, unloading several rounds at the beast's central mass, still unable to pull off the well-fired and, yet, unfortunately seemingly ineffective shot Leon had. Maybe it'll still delay the creature a few moments, right? ...right?

And then things get... difficult. Very difficult, as the helicopter, lifting off and ready to take at least a few people away from this Hell, gets downed by a rocket. It's a good thing he wasn't expecting to get out of here... but it still hurt that Ashley wasn't getting out. A brief thought of trying to load up everyone and move across Ravensgate, but that was a hell of a trek, and it would have been right in view of that creature with heavy weapons. And then his people start dying.

Stadler quickly hunkers down over the strip mall as those bullets slam into the humvees, Guardsmen scrambling for cover as fire fills the area. It wasn't aiming well, which was a plus... but as Stadler moves to fire off a single round aganist that thing's chest plate, he watches as it bounces off, and realzes that this would be a tough kill. And also wishes, in a bout of strange annoyance, that that PFC on the fifty would act like a /Goddamn Professional/.

Ashley was right. They needed to get out.

"Drivers! Get those humvees out of the road, behind the buildings!" He yells, before looking over to Cecily. "Once they're gone, you're gone too! Everyone loads up, and we head back to the Church! You too, Navy!" He says, pointing at the SEAL who was giving any orders. A small squad like this was... probably lead by a Captain- Err, Lieutenant. That's how the Navy worked. So... well. Either they'd die seperately, or they'd die together. But it was time to go.

Nemesis does not relent, the massive mutant B.O.W. proceeds forward laying down a devastating barrage of firepower that rips through most of the retreating National Guardsmen. Rick takes a hit in the leg and Cecily another in the chest, but in both cases armor prevents it from being too fatal.

Everyone else manages to retreat in the chaos.

The Navy SEALs do not deter, "Get out of here. We'll cover you." The lead commando calls out before him and his team begin to unload on Nemesis with grenade launchers, assault rifles, and everything they've got.

The last sight you see as you get to safety is the elite of America's armed forces engaged in combat with a creature straight out of nightmare.

They weren't doing good either. They had paid the ultimate price for your safety.